[Above: Here is a banner with German soldiers marching... mistaken for Russians!]

The Great Patriotic War

[#718]

Signs and banners

[Note: A friend of mine sent these hilarious images. First, let me explain what you are looking at. Every May 9th in Russia is 'Victory Day', which celebrates the communist victory over Germany. It is described to me as a very pompous celebration. There are many posters and signs in the streets dedicated to the occasion. Here's where the fun begins: the designers of these many banners and signs are often incapable of distinguishing between 'Nazi' German soldiers and Soviet ones! Apparently it is an entertaining occasion searching these posters for the many humorous errors. This usually results in violent discussions and the firing of various officials responsible. It really blows my mind that these mistakes are made -- my friend guesses that sometimes maybe these mistakes are made on purpose, but who knows? I know this: the German soldier is one of the most recognizable soldier in history due to his 'stahlhelm' (steel helmet) design, and in the case of WWII, the swastika. Anyway, on with the commie victory circus!]

[Above: 'Long Live the Red Army!' (famous picture of a German soldier in the middle)]

[Above: 'My victory' (German soldiers in the right of the photo)]

[Above: 'The 9th of May - the great victory day!' (a famous photo of a German soldier throwing a hand grenade)]

[Above: 'The 9th of May. Victory Day' (another photo of a German soldier)]

[Above: Another photo of the German soldier throwing the hand grenade... further insult: the Russian flag is accidently upside down!!!]

[Above: 'You'll never find so sacred a friendship but in the war. - Tvardovsky' (the left photo is of two young German soldiers)]

[Above: 'For defenders of the Fatherland in all times']

[Above: 'They fought for the Fatherland']

[Above: Here's the original photo. It's of a German Junkers Ju88 aircraft crew!]

[Above: Here is a collage of American photos being passed off as Russian soldiers! They even stole the famous fake photo of American soldiers raising the flag on Iwo Jima!]

***UPDATE***

A few months after I posted this a video was posted on Facebook by Donald Trump's political campaign. In it he expresses his support for American veterans, but accidently shows a row of old communist veterans wearing rows of Russian military medals.

The video was later removed by the campaign and posted later in the day with the footage in question edited out.

I guess Trump didn't want the Russians to have all the fun.

Häxan - Witchcraft Through the Ages

[#719]

1922 Silent Film

[Note: Behold: Häxan, or as it's called in English -- The Witches or Witchcraft Through the Ages. Häxan is a 1922 Swedish-Danish silent film written and directed by Benjamin Christensen. Christensen spent a few years studying the Malleus Maleficarum and other obscene, murderous books of insanity and hate and based Häxan on what he learned.
Häxan was marketed as a study of how superstition and the misunderstanding of diseases and mental illness often led to the hysteria of the witch hunts and the Inquisition.
The film had a lengthy production period due to Christensen's meticulous re-creation of medieval scenes and the included 'special effects'. It turned out to be the most expensive Scandinavian silent film ever made, costing nearly two million Swedish kronor.
Häxan was widely praised and won much acclaim in Denmark and Sweden, the film was banned in the 'Land of the Free' -- The United States and was heavily censored in other countries for 'graphic depictions of torture, nudity, and sexual perversion.']

[Below: Various art advertising Häxan, both modern and period]

[Below: Movie stills]

[Below: A flyer for a 2011 art show by the same name]

Goddesses, Witches and Demons, Oh My!

[#720]

Pictures from antiquity...

[Note: Since we're on the topic, here are some interesting pictures for your approval.]

[Below: The following three pictures are well over one hundred years old and are done in a style using photography and painting combined.]

[Below: The fabled Black Mass... Baphomet's eyes sure do look a bit swollen, don't you think? Maybe it's time he see an opthamologist. I can imagine it now...

"Greetings, good sir. I've been having problems with my eyes lately. You see, I was at the Black Mass on Halloween and I could barely see the infant's blood being drained. But more importantly, I was straining my eyes as wide as demonically possible in an attempt to see the portly women present...". Is that how you imagined it too?]

[Below: This painting is from 1880 and is called 'Muse of the Night'...]

[Below: This is done by an artist named William Mortensen.]

[Below: This is also done by William Mortensen.]

[Below: This beautiful painting is of a druid.]

[Below: Freya. Goddess of love, sexuality, beauty, fertility, gold, war, and death. She is known to have a chariot pulled by cats?! How cool is that. Our ancient deities were turned into devils and demons by Christians. What they couldn't eradicate they incorporated into holidays like Christmas, Easter, Halloween, etc..]

[Below: 'Nuzzled by her boar Hildisvíni, Freyja gestures to a jötunn' (jötnar, which is anglicized as 'jotunn', are a mythological race like giants). This is an illustration from 1895 by Lorenz Frølich.]

[Below: The wisened old owl was often the familiar spirit of a witch or sorcerer in legend. These spirits, or creatures, served in many forms and in many capacities. They could be dogs, cats, mice, birds or even insects.]

[Below: Here is an old print of witches' familiars and their names, which reveal some strange imaginations and great pet name ideas for today!

Imagine your Pit Bull:'Come here Sacke & Sugar!

Or: 'Sacke & Sugar, quit attacking that child!'.

Or: 'Mom! Griezzell Greedigutt crapped on my bed again!'

Or: 'Pecke in the Crowne! Quit humping Timmy's leg!'

Or: 'Vinegar Tom is knotted with the dog next door! (they're both boys...)']